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Irfan Malik, a GP at Elmswood Surgery in Sherwood said that it has been a "busy winter" for doctors.

He said: "In our practice we have noticed this year that we have been seeing more cases of flu and flu-related infections. There has been an increase in admissions to hospitals this year more so than previous years.

Dr Irfan Malik at the Elswood Surgery

"It has been a very busy winter for us compared to other winters. The last really bad winter that I remember was 1999 to 2000, that was a very bad year for flu.

"We have a very good rate of vaccinations at our practice but people can always slip through the net. The flu types can change each year though so it is always hard to be fully prepared.

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"Patients tend to only come to the doctor when they are really suffering and as a last resort, so it could be higher than we think."

According to consultation rates in Nottinghamshire there were 56 new acute respiratory outbreaks reported in the last week of January, similar numbers to the previous two weeks, when there was 57 and 54.

The past six weeks have seen 282 acute respiratory outbreaks in care homes, hospitals and schools in the region, compared to 214 reported during the same period last year.

Young woman suffering from a seasonal cold and flu blowing her nose on a handkerchief (Image: Getty)

According to GP consultation rates, the Midlands are still seeing very high rates of hospital admissions due to flu, with around seven per 100,000 people being admitted in the last week of January, although the rate has fallen slightly from the previous week.

As well as this, significantly higher than expected numbers of deaths of over 65s were being seen in the East Midlands at the end of January

Based on GP consultation rates for influenza-like illnesses, flu in England is still at medium activity rate.

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"Flu viruses change every year and we have to guess which type of flu will be affecting us when we put together the injections six months in advance. Sometimes we get it wrong whereas sometimes we predict right."

What is Influenza?

Influenza is caused by a virus, which was first identified in 1933. There are two main types that cause infection, influenza A and influenza B. Influenza A is usually a more severe infection than influenza B.

The influenza virus is antigenically unstable and new strains and variants are constantly emerging. Each year one or two subtypes of influenza A may be in circulation and one type of influenza B.

The symptoms of flu can appear very quickly and include headache, fever, cough, sore throat, aching muscles and joints.

Complications include bacterial pneumonia, and can be life threatening especially in older people and those with certain underlying health conditions.